


Secrets Unveiled

by imaginaryfriendashkun



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Age Difference, BAU family dynamics, Denial of Feelings, Gen, Light Angst, Light Description of Violence, Light Torture, M/M, Triggers - Mention of Drug Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-21 21:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6059449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginaryfriendashkun/pseuds/imaginaryfriendashkun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aaron and Spencer have feelings for each other. Everyone knows this, they themselves know this but they don't act on it. </p><p>Emily says, "I wish something would happen that would make them run into each others' arms instead of the opposite direction."</p><p>Her wish comes true, but not in a good way. Something dramatic happens. Their youngest is placed in danger and can they save him on time? As the team races to solve the puzzle, the situation makes Aaron and Spence wish that they had confessed to each other beforehand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hidden Truth

**Author's Note:**

> My second CM fic. I am sure this idea has been written before where Reid's in danger. I want to write this anyway because I love the characters, especially Spence and it's a way to improve my writing skills and I can work on my characterization.
> 
> I am worried about the characters being OOC as usual and certain elements but it will change with time, I am sure as I keep writing.
> 
> This is 'unbetaed' as usual. If there are any glaring mistakes (grammar, spelling, plot, tenses, certain elements regarding the CM universe etc), please do let me know so I can change and improve.
> 
> I have changed certain elements though as this is kind of an AU.

Dave smiles to himself as he walks into the bull pen and sees Prentiss, JJ, Garcia and Morgan engrossed in a silly and animated discussion. He immediately knows what it is about, he has not been a profiler for so many years for nothing. It's about Hotch and Spence.

 

He walks silently towards them, they are so into it that they don't even notice until he leans forward and touches Garcia's back.

 

Garcia jumps and turns, the other three look behind her in fear and then their faces all morph immediately into something completely opposite to fear. They are all wearing identical shit eating grins now and when this happens, Rossi knows from experience that nothing good will ever come out of their plans - initially.

 

Dave rolls his eyes, "I am not doing whatever it's that you want me to."

 

Morgan rolls his eyes, "Common, Rossi. Man, you have got to do this, not for us but for them."

 

"I am not talking to Hotch, you have already asked me so many times and I have refused every time for a reason. It will just make him back away from Reid completely. He would run away in the opposite direction and it would drive them further apart when nothing has even happened. There's no hint that anything would happen between them either and the chances would be less than zero then. If it's for them, it's better if we don't do anything at all."

 

Prentiss shakes her head, "This time, we don't think that will happen."

 

Dave looks intrigued by this. "So something new has happened?"

 

Garcia nods enthusiastically and her ear rings jingle along with her bobbing head. She is wearing a bright yellow dress, large orange ear rings with butterfly and floral designs, many colorful rings on almost all of her fingers, a weird sparkly hair accessory that he can't name or even identify, red pointy heels (how do women walk on them day after day without feeling any normal amount of pain?) and an interesting pair of glasses and as usual, she pulls it off beautifully and elegantly. 

 

After all, no one can beat Garcia when it comes to romantic planning, innocence, brightness and optimism for sure.

 

"Spence finally has met Jack in person!"

 

Dave is even more interested in this sudden development and some of his doubts regarding Hotch and Spence's dubious relationship flies out of the equation temporarily.

 

JJ smiles, "Hotch stayed late after a case as usual, two weeks before. He got a call from his baby sitter saying that she was not feeling well and couldn't pick up Jack from school. Hotch couldn't leave because of his usual monthly meetings with Strauss. Well he could have but he decided to ask someone for help first and we know he would never ask anyone else except one of us, especially as this is concerning Jack."

 

"Garcia, Morgan and Emily had already left early for a movie. You left to finish your book. I wasn't there in my office, Spence was the only one who was there and Hotch had no choice but to ask him."

 

Dave's own smile widens, "And the kid can never refuse Hotch, can he? With the way he practically looks up to Hotch with those doe eyes and adores him."

 

Morgan smirks, "And the way Hotch takes care of little things for Reid - his coffee, the way he asks people to address him as Dr. Reid, the way he covers for Reid's eccentricities in front of new people."

 

JJ whispers, "They just naturally complement each other!"

 

Garcia's eyes widen. "They gravitate towards each other, just look at them! They are freaking adorable, do they even realize that they like each other?"

 

And the five of them - subtly as they can manage in their excitement- look at Hotch's office where Reid and Hotch are sitting opposite to each other discussing something. Thankfully the door is open and the binds are not closed and so they have a clear view from the bull pen.

 

Reid looks more excited than usual and is full of hyper active energy and is waving his arms up and around and about. Reid loves to talk a lot generally but people don't understand him and that bums him only a little. The team sometimes ask him to stop his rambles in the middle so as to solve a case or something but when they are not busy doing anything, they actually love Reid's long, innocent explanations. 

 

Especially the way he delivers the subject, not the subject matter itself which only weirdly, Reid would understand and find interesting.

 

Hotch doesn't look away from Reid, not even for a second. He is even smiling and that is such a rare thing. No one other than the team or Haley's family or Jack can make him smile easily.

 

Garcia whispers suddenly, "Why won't they make a move? They are practically begging the other to!"

 

And suddenly the atmosphere dulls a little.

 

They all look away from Hotch's office. They are reminded of Haley and Spencer's jerk of an ex boyfriend, both of them were hurt in the past and as a result are not ready to make any move in the near future.

 

Hotch would feel guilty because of Haley, he wouldn't want to hurt Spence unless he was sure that he can handle a relationship. Spence is too shy and a little bit insecure for his own good, he probably thinks that he is not the right one for Hotch after everything that has happened to them.

 

Dave clears his throat, "I will talk to Aaron today. Don't talk to the kid though, it will look suspicious. Moreover, Spence isn't good at keeping things from Hotch, especially things like these and we all don't want Hotch breathing on our necks suddenly, do we?"

 

The four of them nod at Rossi and Rossi walks away. They all know not to wait for any interesting development but they hope it will happen for Hotch and Reid's sake anyway.

 

**********

 

Dave catches Hotch during coffee break after a case a couple of days after their discussion.

 

Hotch just looks at Dave realizing that Dave is blocking the door and raises his eye brows without saying anything.

 

Dave starts, "So, you and the kid, huh?"

 

Hotch's eyes lightly widen and his eye brows go up even further but he still doesn't say anything.

 

Dave just rolls his eyes, "Do you think we are idiots and that you could actually fool me? How long do you think I have known you, Aaron? You do know that 'don't profile each other' crap doesn't work most of the time because we are freaking awesome at our jobs, right?"

 

Hotch chuckles, trust Rossi to take the plunge without any hesitation and that too with sarcasm.

 

But soon Hotch's mask is back on again.

 

"There's nothing happening, Dave, you know that."

 

Dave resists the urge to strangle Hotch, this is going to be more difficult than he had anticipated.

 

"I know that, what I mean is, why the hell are you not making a move and sweeping him off his feet already, Aaron?"

 

Hotch shrugs his shoulders. "We are not ready for this, Dave, you should know that better than anyone, I just don't-"

 

Dave finishes, "Want to hurt him? That's lame, even for you. But one day it will be too late and he will be gone, you know? He won't wait for a long time. He won't have a choice, he may not be happy but he will leave you anyway."

 

But both Rossi and Hotch know that it's partially true. Spence had tried dating other men and women but no one had worked for him. Hotch hadn't tried dating anyone at all after Haley but they both know that Spence would wait for Hotch forever and would never make the first move. He would eventually end up with someone else though but would probably never forget Hotch or fall in love with someone else completely.

 

**********

 

JJ asks, "So, did you talk to Hotch?" 

 

It's the day after and all five of them are at bull pen again. They are here early, even before Hotch and Reid who tend to be the first people at the office in the mornings usually. They are the only ones who bother to come early.

 

Dave just chuckles inwardly, of course they all know that he has already spoken to Hotch.

 

Dave nods solemnly. "He did admit his feelings for the kid indirectly but it's like we thought, he is just not ready to make a move."

 

Morgan hits the table lightly. "And pretty boy won't make a move at all!"

 

Garcia sighs, "Unless something dramatic happens, I guess. They should do this on their own, we can't interfere. We would probably end up doing something unnecessary or useless." 

 

Morgan is surprised, "Is this you speaking, Mama?"

 

Garcia laughs at the others' expressions. She realizes that they thought she would have a devious plan or something to bring Reid and Hotch closer. Fortunately, she's mature enough to know when to not intervene in things she has no control over. No one would want to hurt their own family members by mistake or on purpose.

 

"I just don't want to mess up anything, you know? What if we try to make them be with each other and it ends up separating them and putting up a even wider gap between them? After all, this is Hotch and Spence we are talking about! Hotch would never do anything to upset Spence and Junior G-man probably thinks that Hotch would be better off without him. This could blow up on all our faces and theirs if we do even something minutely wrong."

 

They all nod in understanding. What Garcia just said makes a lot of sense. They all already knew this but they had thought that Garcia would have had a wonderful plan or something to at least increase the chances for Aaron and Spence. Apparently, that is not going to happen now.

 

Emily shakes her head in frustration. "I am just hoping that something will happen and they will run into each others' arms."

 

They all chuckle and suddenly they hear frantic footsteps. They look up just in time to see Hotch walking in hurriedly, worry etched on his face. He looks at them and immediately makes his way towards them.

 

And they all know that something's wrong and it's related to Spence.

 

Hotch places an envelope on Morgan's table and says, "I got this message today morning, it was left in my post box. No return address or name or anything. It says on the back to not open it on my own, that I should hurry to the office and open it with my team and if I were to break any rules, consequences would be dire."

 

Hotch's words are followed by a deadly silence. This explains why Hotch is holding the envelope using a cloth instead of directly handling it. It would be worth a shot, trying to get this to the forensic lab and seeing if there are any finger prints on the cover or the contents inside, even though they probably have a feeling that they wouldn't find anything.

 

Emily asks, "Should we wait for Reid?"

 

Morgan shrugs, "It doesn't say 'entire team'. And pretty boy is running late today, surprisingly."

 

Dave frowns. "I don't think we should wait for Reid. Am I the only one who thinks that he could be in danger?"

 

And the others all realize with a sick gut feeling that this could be about Reid. The thoughts have already crossed their minds too. Whenever something bad or dangerous happens, somehow Spence gets pulled into it inadvertently even though everyone, including Spence, hates him being put on the spot, in situations like these.

 

Hotch nods and opens the envelope. No one says anything about the slight tremor in his fingers which is barely noticeable as it is. 

 

He reads out loud, "Be careful, BAU, your youngest is in trouble. Don't think you can save him easily, Chief. He escaped once but I am not letting him get away again."

 

It's printed and not hand written. Normal black, size 12, formal font 'Times New Roman' is used. The person who sent this probably knows that everything would have a meaning and has typed it instead of leaving clues which could be deciphered from his hand writing or a lengthy message. Behavior science is not only observing a person's actions, reactions and facial expressions but also their hand writing, the way the speak, the words they use, the way they do things and so on.

 

The six of them just look at each other and Hotch snaps, "Morgan, you and me, we are going to Reid's house. JJ, stay here in case Reid comes here. Dave, Emily, try looking for him in the usual route he takes to the office, especially for unusual activities noticed by anyone at train or bus stops. Garcia, try to call his phone and if you can get a GPS location, it would be great. Let us move."

 

Immediately everyone jumps up and are ready to start working in a flurry of activity but Garcia stops them with a small shriek. "Don't worry! Reid is just behind you. He's here! Thank God!"

 

And indeed he is, he is fiddling with his messenger bag with one hand, holding a to-go coffee cup in the other, looking down and walking out of elevator. Everyone is frozen on the spot.

 

He notices them, smiles, waves and then frowns realizing that something is wrong and slowly puts his hand down.

 

Garcia breaks the silence, runs forward and hugs Spence tightly nearly sending them both to the ground. Spence's cup falls down but he doesn't seem to worry about that.

 

He hugs Garcia lightly and slowly tries to get himself gently out of her grip.

 

Morgan moves forward, "Let the kid breathe, sugar."

 

Garcia lets go of him finally and tries to calm herself down.

 

Spence opens and closes his mouth hesitantly not knowing how to ask the obvious question. Hotch steps forward, moves closer to Reid and says, "Let us all go to the conference room and talk." And if Hotch stays closer to Spence more than necessary, no one says anything. They are all rattled and uncomfortable as it is.

 

All of them make their way immediately to the conference room.

 

**********

 

Everyone settles immediately in the room and Spence looks at them expectantly. Hotch doesn't delay anymore. He holds up the letter he received and Reid looks at it for a moment and his eyes widen not in confusion but in understanding.

 

They all immediately know that Spence probably knows the person behind this.

 

They also haven't spoken about the fact that this is not only addressed to all of them but personally to Hotch (Unit Chief) as well. This probably denotes the fact that the person knows something about Spence and Hotch's relationship and that could only happen if the person stalked Spence and that sends a shudder through all of them.

 

He is not only watching Spencer but also probably watching all the members of the team is well. This is suddenly becoming too serious and they realize with a sick feeling that none of them are safe.

 

They all look at each other and nod. Sometimes, words aren't needed in the BAU family.

 

Even Garcia sometimes understands what they are thinking even though she is technically not a profiler.

 

JJ speaks up breaking the deafening silence, "What happened to you, Spence?"

 

Spence's demeanor changes. He is usually shy and doesn't like to share about his personal life with strangers (no one in the BAU does). But they all know almost everything about each other's lives completely but somethings are better left unsaid, even between them, even among family members and they know that this is something that belongs to the latter category instead of the former.

 

But there's no choice.

 

Spence's body closes off from the outside world, it's as if he is stuck inside his big brain and he probably is.

 

He bites his lips. "When I was around 10 years old, I was abducted once. I didn't even realize that it was an abduction at first because the person who took me in was a distant relative of my mother's side. He always visited my parents monthly once. He was very friendly with me and liked playing chess with me. He treated me not as a kid but understood my intelligence."

 

"One time, he spoke with my mother and my mother told me it was OK to stay with him for a couple of days, she knew his address and everything. Mom could take care of herself for three or four days on her own, so I wasn't worried about leaving her."

 

"He actually had taken me to a different place and... two days became three, then it became four and five. He wouldn't let me go out and that was when I realized that something was wrong. He gave me food, let me have my own room and rest room and such, he took care of me but he didn't give me a phone or let me outside the room. I knew that he hated technology - he didn't like using phones or computers or TV's. So I wasn't surprised when the room I stayed in had nothing much."

 

"This happened a few months right after my mom and dad got divorced. My mom wasn't taking her medications properly and she didn't even realize I was gone for a lot of days. My dad came for the first few months after the divorce for weekly visits. He somehow realized what had happened, got the information from her and contacted the police."

 

"I tried to do everything but I couldn't get out of the room. He usually locked it outside and there were no windows, even in the rest room. There were no other objects in the room other than a bed and lots of books for me - no shelves, no photographs, nothing. It was plain white and somehow it was scary."

 

"And then the cops found me on the seventh day. He had been kidnapping a series of children ( one per day - they were people who had either bullied me or hurt me somehow as I came to know later ) and had been killing them after torturing them in the basement."

 

No one said anything.

 

Morgan chokes, "Did he try to do anything to you? Was he going to do something similar to you in the end?"

 

Spence doesn't look at any of them. He whispers, "I don't know... I couldn't find out about what he had in store for me."

 

Hotch catches on, he asks indignantly, "You actually went to visit him in jail after he had been caught?"

 

Everyone looks at Spence in disbelief. For someone with an IQ of 187, Spence had done something so stupid. They all knew that the cause of obsession should never try to provoke the stalker - Psychology 101. But they all understood why he did what he did, they just wished he hadn't. It would probably only add fuel to the sicko's burning, disgusting desires and delusions.

 

Spence shrugs his shoulders lightly, he doesn't look at anyone. "I had to know, I wanted to know, I needed to know why he did the things he did and why he was obsessed with me. He refused to speak to me, he just came and smiled at me as if he owned me and had won. I realized that he wanted me to suffer and be miserable because of him. I refused to give him that and never went again after that."

 

Dave looks at Spence. "Was he delusional?"

 

Reid shakes his head. "He wasn't. He carried on normal routines easily, he even had a part time day job which he didn't miss. He was a control freak though - he had mild OCD. He didn't try to touch me inappropriately. He definitely was a psychopath though, I read what he brutally did to those children mercilessly - there were no hesitation wounds and his MO never changed - after torturing them, he would kill them by strangling them and dump their bodies as if they were nothing but garbage."

 

No one says anything for a couple of seconds.

 

Hotch finally breaks the silence. "We are not taking other cases until we crack this one. Reid, you are not going to stay alone in your apartment anymore. Stay with us in our places in shifts."

 

Reid starts to protest but Hotch cuts him off. "Don't bother to argue. This is a done deal."

 

Reid looks at the rest of the team and he knows that there's know way he can back out of this. He just hopes that this will end soon so that he doesn't have to worry about his team members' well being. He closes his eyes and nods slowly.

 

Everyone nods back and he can see the determined look in their eyes. They are a family and they will protect each other without fail.


	2. A Twist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if this is going the way I want it to, it became 3 chapters instead of 2 like I had originally planned and I have rewritten this like a couple of times and am still not satisfied.
> 
> Moreover this is a second version. I am exploring the dynamics of Hotch and Reid's relationship in addition to the UnSub and Reid's plot.
> 
> If there are any glaring loopholes, mistakes and OOCness, please do point out.  
> This is 'unbetaed' and help me by pointing out grammatical, spelling mistakes so I can improve.

At first, when Hotch had proposed the idea of him living - temporarily - with his other BAU family members on a shift basis, he had felt uncomfortable. They had never tried something like this before, this was too sudden, too personal with something delicate on the line.

 

Sure, he had spent a night on Morgan's couch, a night at Rossi's, he had even spent a night at JJ's because Henry hadn't been ready to let go of him. 

 

Hell, he had also spent a night at Hotch's two weeks before because Jack had taken a liking to him, even though that was unplanned and an unexpected but welcome change and that's something because sometimes Spencer doesn't like to deal with changes.

 

He can adapt himself to situations anytime but he hates doing it.

 

He had woken up the next day on Hotch's couch with Jack by his side, a blanket (courtesy of Hotch obviously) over them. He hadn't been able to wipe the grin off of his face for days after that kind gesture, he hadn't even cared when Morgan, Garcia and JJ had hounded and teased him for information which of course he hadn't disclosed.

 

He hadn't stayed at Prentiss or Garcia's house over night but he had been to their places to watch movies, discuss nerdy theories and just to have fun because Prentiss and Garcia always drag him out to everywhere when they realize that he doesn't make plans usually. They never take no for an answer.

 

At first they had taken him to bars, pubs, parties, gatherings, dance floors, karaokes, malls and so on. When they had found out that he didn't like those places that much, they had started to change tactics by inviting him subtly to their homes and setting up games related to science fiction and marathons and popcorn. They had started bribing him with what he likes. He wasn't complaining.

 

He is not a profiler for nothing, he had caught on. But by mutual respect and understanding, none of them say anything because they just simply like hanging out with each other excluding the crowd, loud noises and unwanted distractions.

 

But, this was different, this circumstance, the situation was completely, vastly different. The person who had abducted him when he had been 10 years old, his distant relative, Peter Chambers had sent a threatening letter to the team saying that their youngest was in danger, challenging them to catch him, looking down on them and Reid as if Reid can't be saved and showing his disgusting domination.

 

He had known it was Peter immediately because Peter had said those exact same words to him when Reid had visited him for the first and last time in prison. "Be careful, you will always be in trouble. Don't think you can be saved easily. You escaped once but I am not letting you get away again." Reid has an eidetic memory after all. 

 

Even if he doesn't have an eidetic memory, these are things people don't forget easily.

 

But right now, though the situation is dire, Reid doesn't mind living with his team mates at all. 

 

Rossi is like the lovable, caring uncle who is sarcastic and funny and not to mention a great chef, that is... until something or someone threatens his family. Prentiss and Garcia are like his understanding big sister with whom he can talk about things easily and bubbly little eccentric sister respectively. Morgan is the mischievous yet protective big brother. JJ is the mother hen though she is not much older than him and doesn't like it when she is called 'mother' by her team mates in a sarcastic way.

 

**********

 

The first three days with Rossi had been interesting, Rossi had taken a vow, it seems, to teach Reid how to cook - at least the basic stuff. 

Rossi had given a disgusted and exasperated expression as he had looked into Reid's refrigerator when he had gone to Reid's house to pick him up the very same day Hotch had gotten Peter's message. Reid's refrigerator had nothing but a few biscuits, ice cream, some apples, canned soups and noodles, bread, and milk (only for coffee). 

 

They had decided not to take any risks and waste time. Rossi had literally kidnapped Reid and forced Reid to get the essential items from his house before whisking him away to his Italian styled mansion.

 

Reid smiles as he remembers Rossi's sarcasm.

 

"You don't just read books but you eat them too, don't you? Your brain is so big but no wonder your body is so damn skinny. What kind of healthy human eats this crap? Haven't you heard of the term 'balanced nutrition'? How the hell have you survived till now?"

 

Reid is affronted, he has good survival skills, he had survived Hankel after all. He has taken care of himself and his mother on his own from a very young age. Of course Rossi doesn't mean this literally but still Reid is offended.

 

Reid stutters, "R-ossi!"

 

Rossi just rolls his eyes. This conversation makes Reid remember a lot of facts about the human body and of course, he has to state them.

 

Reid starts, "Did you know? The size of the Brain in terms of weight for the average adult human is about 1300 to 1400 grams, or around 3 pounds. And mine is not-"

 

Rossi snaps, "You know what I mean, shut up, don't make me shoot you. You need to eat real food. You don't even know how to freaking cook basic stuff!" And that had been the end of that strangely one-sided discussion.

 

And Rossi had proceeded to do exactly that. He hadn't given Reid any rest, he had forced Reid to read many basic recipes. Reid had actually enjoyed it though he wouldn't accept it out loud, he doesn't have to with his family anyways. They all strangely know what the other is thinking most of the time.

 

**********

 

The next three days with JJ had been fun. Spencer had kept Henry company all night telling him stories and doing magic tricks. Spence liked Henry's eyes and response when he does magic.

 

Henry is a little ball of innocence and happiness and kind of long blonde hair and hugs and activity that always knocks Spence of his feet in a good refreshing way. Spence forgets that he is actually bad with kids when he is around Henry and Jack.

 

Will and JJ had gone out of their way to make him feel at home, as if no knife was hanging loose from its thread above their heads. It had been like a small picnic. Oh, the irony.

 

**********

 

After that Reid had endured Morgan's constant teasing at his house. Morgan actually had the nerve to ask Reid to share a bed with him. In the end Reid had kicked Morgan to the couch and in retaliation Morgan had hidden Reid's clean clothes and had denied Reid the right to have coffee early in the morning the next day.

 

Reid had in turn messed up Morgan's play list and had taken over his bed again.

 

Morgan had called in back up in the form of Garcia and Prentiss. Thankfully Hotch and JJ had taken Reid's side and Rossi had decided to remain a spectator. 

 

Reid had analyzed and stated - more like blabbered without thinking - that it was because of Rossi's age that Rossi didn't want to be pranked by a group of young vibrant people (young when compared to Rossi's age) and had gone and shared statistics about how people change as they age.

 

He had gotten a glare and a bucket full of water for that.

 

**********

 

Hotch, he hasn't mentioned or talked about Hotch now, has he? 

 

He could never think of Hotch as a brother or a father, still can't apparently. He had a crush of huge proportions on the man after all. Living with Hotch wasn't going to be easy, it was going to be the hardest. He doesn't know if he can keep his feelings a secret in such close proximity with Hotch, that too in Hotch's house. 

 

He has already stayed with each member of his team and he doesn't know whether Hotch being the last is a good or a bad thing.

 

He knocks on Hotch's office and peers in. Hotch is packing stuff up and he looks up at Reid and nods. "Ready to go?"

 

Reid bites his lip, "I was actually thinking that we could skip that part. I am pretty sure that he is not going to directly attack me. He must have lost his interest in me. I am older now, after all. And, it has already been 12 days, 18 hours, 35 minutes-"

 

Hotch raises his hand and shakes his head. "Stop lying. Stalkers' fixation doesn't go away easily. You are not a burden to any of us, Reid."

 

Reid just wants to hide himself in a hole. "Who said anything about me being a burden, Hotch?"

 

Hotch stares at Reid. "Nobody has to, we are profilers. We know what you think. We know that you can take care of yourself. We are doing this because we want to."

 

"If I can take care of myself, why can't you guys just accept that fact and let me live in my own apartment?"

 

"Stop doing that. You are not going to make me or the others angry, we are not going to give up and just ask you to live on your own when a psycho is after you. This is dangerous. He is a stalker and you are his obsession. He will do anything to acquire you. You already know that."

 

Reid sighs, "That's exactly why I should be on my own. He will not hurt me but he won't hesitate to hurt you guys. I know you can take care of yourselves too but this is just going out of hand, Hotch."

 

"This is not just you, Reid. We would do the same thing if it were any one of us other than you too, you know that well. Would you let JJ, Will and Henry be on their own if they were in danger? Even if it puts you on the front line, you would do anything to save her, right?"

 

Reid nods, when Hotch puts it like that, he cannot argue. Everyone on the team knows each other inside and out well after all and at times like these, they don't hesitate to use things like these against each other if it means that their family will be safe.

 

They have already done something like this before when each had been put on a tight spot - when Hotch had been attacked by Foyet, when Morgan was arrested when he went to Chicago to visit his family and lived his worst childhood nightmare again, when Will was abducted and strapped to a bomb, when Emily was put into trouble because of her 'Lauren' past, when Penelope was shot, when Rossi's army friend was in danger - none of the others left them alone.

 

Hell, when Reid had been held captive by Hankel, his team, his family never let go of him, they even helped him unknowingly to overcome his addiction.

 

He murmurs, "I would do the same for everyone on our team. I would do the same for you and Jack."

 

Hotch's eyes widens and Reid shuts up. What had he just blurted out? Why couldn't he ever think and speak in front of Hotch at times like these? There is no way Hotch wouldn't understand what Reid had just implied, the way he had singled out Hotch from the others. This is a direct statement.

 

Hotch slowly gets up and crosses the desk and stands near Reid. He pats Reid on the back and is about to say something when there's a knock on the door. 

 

Hotch recoils and looks that it's Rossi.

 

He ignores Rossi's smirk as Rossi waves goodbye and walks away humming. Hotch can almost swear that there's a mischievous glint in his eyes and a happy hop to his steps. Hotch shakes his head and looks at Reid who has moved away from Hotch's personal space, as far away as he can get in a closed room. 

 

The fragile moment is broken.

 

He says, "Let us go." There's nothing else left to say.

 

**********

 

Hotch wakes up to muffled sounds coming from the bedroom. He stands up wasting no time and picks up his gun and torch light. He is glad that he had already left Jack at Jessica's house.

 

He had an inkling that something would happen if Reid were to stay with him. Everyone on his team had, even Reid. That's why Reid had tried to weasel his way out of trying to stay with Hotch.

 

But there's was no other way to lure this sicko. It was a calculated risk that they had to take.

 

He slowly, silently walks towards his bedroom where Reid's sleeping. He opens the door and thanks God that the door is actually open and that it opened easily without making any noise.

 

It's pitch dark. He presses the switch but light does not flood the room, it remains eerily, creepily shrouded in darkness and that makes him even more uncomfortable.

 

Reid is sitting on the floor with his head lolling to the side in an awkward position.

 

Hotch restrains himself physically from rushing towards Reid. He turns on the torch light and holds his gun and looks around, he cannot find anyone in the room anywhere.

 

The window is open and it's chilly.

 

He rushes towards Reid and places his hand on Reid's cheeks. Reid looks up with clouded eyes and immediately Hotch knows that he is drugged. Hotch wants to find the damn person and strangle him to death.

 

He lifts Reid and places him on the bed.

 

Reid holds onto him and smiles like a child. "Is th-at you, Ho-tch? Why are yo-u h-ere in my bedroom?" Reid's stutters don't make Hotch calm either.

 

"It's nothing, Reid. Just stay here, OK?"

 

He wants to close the damn window. He tucks in Reid never letting go of his gun all the way through the motions.

 

Reid catches Hotch's hand before Hotch decides to leave and whispers, "Plea-se stay with me, I am scare-d. I th-ought there was so-ome else here."

 

Hotch knows that there's no way Reid would say this to anyone if he were in the right state of mind. He curses himself and nods. "Just a second, Spencer."

 

And that's when he feels an object placed on his head and he hears a raspy drawl that sends shivers down his spine, fear not for himself but for Reid.

 

"This Reid is easy to handle, isn't he? Lovely Spence, all drugged up and compliant, he didn't even put up a fight. Now, its your turn."

 

And everything goes black.

 

**********

 

Hotch wakes up panting and sighs as he realizes that it was just a dream. He places his hands on his forehead and tries to calm himself down. He walks towards his bedroom and is glad to see that Reid is safe and sleeping soundly. He checks if all the doors and windows are bolted properly, the alarms are on, his phone has Rossi on speed dial. Morgan is only a few blocks away in a hotel with Rossi. Prentiss and Garcia are at JJ's house. 

 

Hotch shakes his head. He wants nothing but to hug Reid and bury his face in Reid's shoulder with his hands on Reid's soft locks. Reid doesn't deserve something like this.

 

He hopes that he will find Chambers soon and he will have the pleasure of killing Chambers with his own hands. Somehow that thought strangely doesn't frighten him. He had already killed Foyet with his bare hands for killing Hayley.

 

Hotch is a man who protects his family no matter what, at any cost. He has accepted that there is a darkness inside him that awakens when his family, when Reid is threatened and he doesn't fight it anymore. Because his family had shown him that there was no reason to fight that part of him.

 

**********

 

Hotch and Reid are driving towards Rossi's home to drop Reid off. Hotch had told Rossi that he would drop Reid himself at Rossi's house. The old man had annoyingly just smirked and nodded eagerly, too much enthusiastically as if knowingly exactly what Hotch was about to do.

 

He had even patted Hotch on the back and had murmured a 'good luck' for the talk Hotch had planned with Reid.

 

But that wasn't going to happen unfortunately. Reid had fallen asleep the moment he had gotten into Hotch's car. Reid had been so mentally put out that he hadn't even asked why Hotch was driving him to Rossi's house when Rossi himself could have taken Reid home.

 

It is nearly 1 o'clock in the morning, it had been a long day and an exhausting, tiring case involving children. Somehow they had solved the case.

 

Hotch looks and smiles at Reid who is sleeping on the seat next to him and continues driving. The fact that Reid can sleep next to him shows that Reid trusts Hotch. Of course, Hotch knows that Reid likes him, Reid is just too adorable to not believe the fact that Hotch might like him back too, Reid gives Hotch too much credit, thinks that Hotch is a saint and has a lot of self control.

 

He does but he does not know how much more of this unsuspecting and trusting Reid he can take. Reid sometimes can be a oblivious fool when it comes to himself. Hotch cannot believe it because Reid is so smart, observant, quick in every way when it comes to others and his job.

 

Hotch is too busy thinking about Reid that he fails to notice the big truck behind his car that smashes into his car. Hotch loses control of his vehicle and that moment is enough for the car to swerve out of control and into a tree.

 

Hotch has hit his head and is bleeding, he knows that he is not going to be awake much longer. He looks at Reid, Reid is not awake either but thankfully not hurt a lot.

 

Hotch's last thoughts are that thank God he and Reid were wearing seat belts but he knows that it probably would take a while for anyone to find his car because they are not in a populated neighborhood and curses himself before falling into unconsciousness.

 

**********

 

Reid wakes up and shakes his head, his hands are tied behind his back and he is sitting on a cold hard floor. His ankles are tied together too. His head feels like it's being split and he cannot bring himself to open his eyes, it's too bright.

 

He also feels very hazy, things are not clear and that scares him. He is not able to think properly at all or even form words. It's probably because of a concussion.

 

He panicks. He doesn't know what to do. He thinks about Hotch and he hates himself for putting Hotch in this position. If something bad happens and Jack is left alone, he would never be able to forgive himself.

 

Spence groans as he tries to move his hands, his whole body feels as if it's weighed down with a ton of bricks.

 

He hears Hotch's voice. "Are you OK, Reid?"

 

Reid knows that he shouldn't be happy in this situation but he is anyways, that he is not alone. But the next moment he hates himself because Hotch doesn't deserve to be in this position because of Reid. No one on his team deserves this. He has put his family in danger!

 

He nods, he still can't make words or get his mouth to move. His mouth feels very dry and raspy.

 

He finally opens his eyes and keeps them own despite the pounding head ache and the glare from the sun rays through the window. They are in a basement apparently, everything is white and it's strangely empty. But this doesn't give him the chills at all, it's not similar to the place he had stayed when he was abducted by Chambers in the past.

 

Before Hotch could say anything else, the room opens and in walks a man completely dressed in back, wearing a white mask and carrying a knife. Reid gulps, he is not afraid for himself, he just hopes that this sicko wouldn't hurt Hotch.

 

The man walks towards Reid and makes him stand up by the scruff of his shirt. He opens Reid's mouth forcefully and makes him swallow a pill. Reid tries to not swallow, turns his head and even tries to spit it out but the man's grip is too strong and he holds Reid's mouth open for a long time and Reid finally gives in.

 

Reid can faintly here Hotch's voice speaking in a calm and authoritative way to the man but he cannot make out what's being said. He feels as if he is floating and wants nothing more than to curl up and fall asleep.

 

Has the man given him a sleeping pill? This fact surprises Reid more than it should. Something about this is vaguely familiar but with the state he is in, he cannot figure out what's happening. He knows something about this, that something is very close to his mind but he cannot fish it out and grasp it.

 

Hotch's voice washes over him.

 

He feels his hands being untied, he is dragged towards somewhere and he is tied once again to something, his hands are behind his back and he can feel his back on a scratchy wooden surface. Must be a pole or something. Why cannot he think clearly?

 

And suddenly a moment of painful clarity makes him open his eyes and hiss in pain. He can hear Hotch's yells for the man to stop. He feels warm blood start flowing from his right shoulder.

 

The sicko has just stabbed him.

 

"Don't fall asleep, if you do, I will wake you up each time with a stab. I have only given you a very very minute dose. Fight it, if you eventually fall asleep, which you will, in three or four hours, I will kill you in front of him to show him that he cannot save you, that you cannot save yourself and then I will kill him."

 

That's when Reid knows that this is not Chambers and why something about this case is so familiar.


	3. The Search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay.  
> Unbetaed as usual. Point out mistakes so I can improve.  
> Re-wrote a couple of times to get Hotch and Reid's interaction correct and to tie up lose ends and explain everything properly.  
> Hopefully I have gotten it right and done justice to all the wonderful characters.

JJ and Rossi rush into Garcia's den. They had gotten a call saying that Garcia couldn't reach Reid or Hotch. Morgan and Prentiss were already on their way to Hotch's house. They would check Hotch's house and then Reid's.

 

Garcia is frantically typing into the keyboard.

 

She doesn't even turn, she says, "This is my fault. I was the one who wanted Hotch and Reid to be on their own before Reid could reach your house, Rossi."

 

The fact that she isn't using any endearing nick names and terms shows how upset she actually is.

 

Rossi sighs. "I was the one who said OK when Hotch asked me if he could drop Spence off at my place. So isn't this technically my fault, Penelope?"

 

JJ shakes her head, "It's not just your fault. All of us wanted something good to come out of this for Hotch and Spence. This way... and time wasn't probably the right one. They are well trained agents who can take care of themselves. We should have been there with them anyway, we should have gone with them in Hotch's car."

 

Rossi sighs, "Or I shouldn't have said 'yes' when Hotch told me that he will drop Reid off at my place. But there's no guarantee that the same wouldn't have happened if Reid had been with me. Of course, he is probably fixated on Reid and Hotch but there are a lot of 'what if' scenarios, we cannot blame anyone, Garcia."

 

Garcia and JJ don't say anything.

 

Rossi rolls his eyes. "I think we should just concentrate on finding this damn jerk so that we can get back Hotch and Reid."

 

JJ starts, "He is very clever. He has been stalking all of us. He knows that it would be difficult for him to kidnap Reid if he were with us in our apartments. One thing for sure, this sicko is targeting Hotch and Reid, that's confirmed for now."

 

Garcia cries out. "At what cost?! They are missing now!"

 

JJ doesn't know what to say.

 

Rossi stares at Garcia. "Calm down, Penelope. Riling yourself up is not going to help find them. We have to work together. We need to find out more about Chambers."

 

Garcia nods vigorously. "I have been trying to find the slimy bastard since Hotch got the note but I couldn't find out anything about him at all. We all have been trying so much to find him. No results have come up! There's no bank account or ATM card or even an online paper trail or bread crumbs with the name 'Peter Chambers' at all. He has literally been slipping through my fingers!"

 

JJ's phone rings, it's Morgan. She puts it on speaker.

 

"Hotch and Reid aren't here, JJ. It looks like they didn't reach Hotch's house either. They must have been grabbed on the way to Rossi's house for sure, if Hotch had changed plans to take Reid to his house, he would have definitely told Rossi, he wouldn't just not call in this type of situation. Checking Hotch's house was worth a shot anyway. Garcia, did you check for any reports?"

 

Garcia is on the verge of tears. Her two boys are missing and no one knows where they are or even the place from which they were taken.

 

"I am still searching. I have flagged the route from the airport to Rossi's, if anything is reported in that area, I will be the first to know."

 

Prentiss' says, "There are only two routes to Rossi's house from the air port. They wouldn't use the usual route, so it must have been the other route. We will check along that one first, it's less populated too, accidents wouldn't be reported immediately."

 

JJ nods, "I will send over the Forensic division as soon as you find something."

 

They all know that there's not going to be much of a chance of finding any DNA evidence or a finger print because this psycho is very sophisticated and methodical. He had even guessed that they would not take the normal route. But they hope that they will find something anyway. Morgan and Prentiss hang up. 

 

Time is a crucial point here.

 

Garcia interrupts their train of thought. "I have cross checked Chambers' DNA which was available from the prison data base with other recent data bases, he is lying low, looks like he hasn't done anything bad since his release."

 

JJ snorts, "He wouldn't want any eyes on him, would he now? Also, Reid is the only person he has eyes for, others are useless and trash in his mind. He wouldn't waste time with others. He probably is smart and aloof too, misunderstood by people, that's why he reached out to the young Spence."

 

Rossi hums a little. "Chambers is fixated on Reid, isn't he? JJ, call Reid's mother and ask her if anyone has visited her recently asking about Reid. He definitely cannot go on long without some form of contact."

 

JJ nods and leaves immediately without wasting anytime.

 

Rossi starts thinking, maybe they have been looking at this in a wrong way. They have been searching for the past week and half about Peter Chambers living a bit away from Reid afraid that he would be identified by Reid. What if it was the other way around? What if Chambers was changing tactics and actually living somewhere near Reid with an altered appearance? Wouldn't that be easy access to stalk Reid and all of them?

 

They have been thinking that he wouldn't stalk them after having sent the letter because it would be too risky. But Chambers has nothing to lose anymore, right?

 

They have also been searching for people who search about 'Dr. Reid' and collect his papers, articles about him and such but what if Chambers is smart enough to not do that so that he wouldn't come under scrutiny?

 

But Chambers would definitely not be without getting some kind of fix related to Reid. There was something they were missing. And it hits Rossi. Time constraints and lives of family on the line does this to people apparently, makes them work faster, harder and more efficiently than before.

 

Using Reid's middle name 'Scott' would definitely give Chambers power over Reid and when he lays his hand on Reid, he would definitely tell Reid about this proudly. Chambers doesn't seem like he wants to hurt Reid... yet.

 

Using Reid's surname or first name or his father's name would be too risky. On the other hand, using Reid's middle name wouldn't pose that much of a problem if they were to check for suspicious people.

 

Rossi looks at Garcia. "Spencer's middle name is Scott. Why don't you try searching for people with the first name Scott? He cannot be away from Reid for a long time. So check in a 50 mile radius from Reid's house."

 

Garcia starts typing. "There are about 257 people with that name."

 

"Narrow down to people who have recently moved there within the last month or two weeks. To people who live alone. He must have a day job that doesn't draw much attention to him, in fact he would probably even work from home so that people won't notice him and he would have enough time to stalk Reid, Hotch and us. At that time he was 25, now he must be above 45."

 

The list is significantly narrowed down to only three people.

 

"Give me their addresses, Penelope. I will go pay him a visit. I will ask JJ to join me."

 

"Be careful, please."

 

Rossi nods and walks away. He hopes that he finds Chambers and when he does, that son of a gun is going to regret every fiber in his body for having stalked his family and for targeting Reid and Hotch.

 

**********

 

Reid is bleeding a lot. It has already been an hour and he has nearly eight stab wounds on his body - two on his right and left arms, three on his right thigh and leg, one on his stomach and two on his back. He somehow cannot will himself to not fall asleep efficiently.

 

But Reid is proud, he never shouted in pain or begged the bastard to stop. He will never do that either. He has come a long way from Hankel. If this psycho thinks that he can actually capture Reid emotionally and physically, he is going to be waiting for a long time. But Reid doesn't want to die either. He can try to profile this guy but he is not in a efficient state right now - he is mostly asleep and his mind isn't co-operating either.

 

For the first time, Reid cannot use his brain and that puts him at a disadvantage. But he will not stop trying.

 

Reid opens his eyes and stares at the man as if willing him to stab him once again. Reid doesn't have the same strength to look at Hotch though.

 

Hotch's voice cuts in. "Are you afraid of Reid?" Reid knows that Hotch is trying to distract the man from hurting Reid anymore.

 

The masked man growls in anger and rushes towards Hotch and kicks him. 

 

Hotch doesn't give up. "If you are really not afraid, you would be fighting him like a man instead of tying him up and torturing him like this. I thought you were after people who hurt Reid? Why are you hurting him instead? You didn't hurt those people because you cared for Reid, you hurt and killed those people because you wanted to monopolize Reid and wanted to be the only person who wanted to hurt him, right?"

 

The masked man crackles. "You are so far off."

 

He slaps Hotch once again. "You think so highly of that little brat there. He cannot save himself, let alone anyone else. He is weak and pathetic, a coward."

 

Hotch hisses, "You are the one who is wrong. He can take care of himself and others. He has helped catch countless inhumane people like you and has saved a lot of lives. You are the coward here, very much less than a man."

 

Reid interrupts them. He doesn't want Hotch to get hurt by the sicko. He coughs and whispers, "You are not Chambe-rs."

 

Hotch's eyes widens and the masked man stops laughing, Reid has finally made the man shut his mouth for a few seconds. He knows that if he can see beneath the mask, the smirk would be wiped off completely. 

 

Hotch looks proud for a moment and then he smirks at the psycho. "You were saying?"

 

The man growls his frustration again and throws the knife at Reid. The knife lodges itself on the pole above Reid's head. Reid appreciates himself for not flinching and Hotch for not shouting.

 

Reid doesn't stop, "You are the ma-n the LAPD is after, ar-en't you? I re-ad ab-out your vict-ims. You drug them and tor-ture them when they try to fall asleep. You want to keep them aw-ake for as long as you can and when they don't stay awake, you fina-lly kill them."

 

Reid had gone through some of the files at JJ's desk. He had been doing so since Chambers' release in hopes that he would find something. Because a man like Chambers cannot stop himself from killing for a long time.

 

The man removes his mask and throws it at Reid's head again. Reid's breath catches a little and he bites his lip.

 

"If you are so damn fucking smart, why don't you tell me why I became this way? Why don't you tell me why I am after you?"

 

Reid shrugs nonchalantly and both he and Hotch know that Reid is trying to rile up the bastard. Somehow, he doesn't feel a lot of physical pain. He feels numb. He tries to remember what he read in the case files.

 

He really has rotten luck, doesn't he? Instead of being kidnapped by his own nightmare, he has been kidnapped by someone else's. This man has no connection with BAU whatsoever, if his team mates are going to look for people targeting Hotch or Reid other than Chambers, they are going to be in trouble. JJ doesn't know that he has been looking through her files either.

 

How the hell did he get himself and Hotch into this mess in the first place? Damn.

 

His team, they are going to be looking at the wrong place, for the wrong man, not that they had had any luck either finding Chambers and they have been searching vigorously for that jerk for the past two weeks.

 

"You were probably abandoned by your mother. That's why your victims are females in between the ages of 30 to 40. You were young and she concentrated more on the men in her life and there were a lot of men, indeed. Your real dad took the anger out on you by abusing you at night continuously till morning and you weren't able to sleep."

 

"You probably had depression and insomnia which wasn't noticed or treated at all. That's why you don't let your victims sleep. You want them to go through the same pain because you wanted your mother to go through the same pain. You started killing 6 months ago, your mother or dad must have died then. That's the trigger."

 

"They probably got divorced and went on their separate ways. You were tossed into a home or passed from relative to relative because if you had stayed with a good family, you wouldn't have started killing. You don't know what love is, you wish you did, you wish you had a good family. You are a sadist." 

 

"You cannot feel the positive things in life. You get off on the pain of your victims. You show no remorse, you don't care for them, they are trash. You hide behind your harsh words and sarcasm, you hide your face and let them see you only in their last breath."

 

The man doesn't say anything and Reid and Hotch knows that Reid has the man, that this profile is nearly right.The man's face morphs from shock to apathy in seconds. He smirks again. "So tell me, little boy, why am I after you when all my females are victims? You are not a female or a mother as far as I can see."

 

Reid has only one theory, this man is connected to Chambers somehow.

 

There was no way this guy would have known that Reid has read his case file. Lila lives in LA but Reid has no more contact with her anymore and she is not his type unless she is married and already has a kid, it has been years after all but it seems unlikely. Lila was the type to put her career before her personal life.

 

This guy wouldn't have any link inside the FBI or LAPD. This guy was not connected to his mother or father. He was not connected to Hotch or any other BAU members.

 

"Chambers somehow stole your victim and you are after his."

 

The guy sucks in a breath and Reid knows that he has hit the nail on the head. He smiles to himself and adds, "What you gave me is not a very very minute dose of sleeping pill, I can calculate the dosage you gave me based on facts like when I started to feel sleepy. You gave me a small dose. I can do everything and tell you in detail what you need to do so that it can be more effective the next time... if there's going to be a next time. But you won't understand, I can tell you the results just in case though."

 

Hotch adds, "They will come for us, be prepared when they do."

 

The guy's eyes widen and he yells in pure rage and leaves the room banging the door shut behind him.

 

Reid realizes that the pain is starting to flare up again. He explains to Hotch how he made the connection in a desperate attempt to not concentrate on the pain. 

 

Both he and Hotch know that he doesn't have to explain to Hotch, Hotch already knows and has probably made the same connection too, he lets Reid talk anyway hoping that Reid wouldn't drown in his pain.

 

He had remembered a single unsolved murder of a lady in her late thirties in the same neighborhood of LAPD, the victimology - same as the person holding him and Hotch currently captive but the MO different. The MO was similar to how Chambers had killed Reid's ill wishers. At that time he hadn't connected it because he hadn't thought that Chambers would cross state lines to kill. 

 

They had all been sure that Chambers would not kill anyone unrelated to Reid. They had been wrong. Chambers was the kind of person who couldn't go on without killing. He had quenched his urge and had come to stalk Reid again - his original prey.

 

Reid wishes that he wouldn't feel pain but he does so sharply now. He hasn't felt the urge to use again in a long time and it would be nice to just slip into that cloud nine feeling. He needs to be strong. He cannot let this psycho ruin his life.

 

The fact that Hotch is nodding and listening and humming and trying to soothe Reid just with his voice helps. It would be so nice if he could just confess, wouldn't it? But he is afraid to lose the relationship, the comfort he has with Hotch now. He would end up losing his BAU family too if they were to choose between him and Hotch. He doesn't want that.

 

He already has lost a lot of people - his family, friends, his special ones. He doesn't want to lose anymore people.

 

Hotch laughs out loud and Reid is pulled out of his thoughts. "You shouldn't have riled him up like that."

 

Reid rolls his eyes and hisses lightly in pain. "We shouldn't have, not just me, you had your fun with him too. You actually enjoyed it when I did that to him, when I threw his incompetence at his face."

 

Hotch just shrugs but Reid knows that he is right again. "He deserves it."

 

Reid tries not to fall asleep or feel pain as Hotch tries to find a way to escape. Reid looks like he has used up all of his energy, he can't get his eyes to be open, much less think of an escape route or plan. He will leave that to Hotch. He hears Hotch's voice as he begins to doze off.

 

**********

 

Morgan enters Garcia's den. The forensic division didn't find anything - just as they had thought - at the accident site. Yes, they had found the site, the alternate route that Hotch had taken to drop Spencer off.

 

JJ is still busy collecting information about Reid's mom's visitors. Rossi and Prentiss are busy interrogating the bastard they had caught, yes, they had identified Reid's stalker. But the thing is, Reid wasn't in his house.

 

There's no way that he would keep Reid away from him and it doesn't look like he has another property or secret hidden place where anybody can be held away from people's prying eyes. He's not revealing much but the truth is there's not much to reveal.

 

Even though they have caught someone, it looks like the sleaze bag might not be responsible for Reid and Hotch's disappearance. They have to look for new leads and time is ticking.

 

Garcia is frantically typing away with a fury.

 

Morgan walks forward and places his hand on her shoulder. She doesn't say anything, she keeps on typing but her frenzy lessens a little and Morgan doesn't have to say anything either. Just his presence is enough for Garcia. 

 

Garcia finally turns and she smiles and they know that she has something.

 

Morgan smiles despite the weight of the situation. "Out with it, baby girl, what do you have for us?"

 

"I was thinking... Rossi said that he would definitely have stalked Reid and you guys. Now I have his face, I tried looking for him in places you all frequent and I found him."

 

Morgan knows that there's something more to it. "And...?"

 

Garcia's smile widens, "I found someone else. That person is not in places you guys were.... I found him in places where Chambers goes regularly."

 

Morgan looks at the videos Garcia has compiled and realizes. "Damn! Our douche bag stalker has a stalker himself?"

 

Garcia's smile falters, "Will this help... find our Spence and Hotch? This is not a coincidence, right?"

 

Morgan just pats her shoulder again. "It's something, Garcia. We are stuck and this might be a new lead that we need."

 

Garcia tries to crack a joke, "If Reid were here, he would give us statistics about how rare it would be for a stalker to be stalked himself by an other creepy pervert master."

 

"That he would, Mama, that he would."

 

Morgan then asks Garcia, "Baby girl, do you have more info on this new guy?"

 

Garcia answers, "I am running his picture through all known data bases, I will have the result soon."

 

Morgan kisses Garcia's cheek, "I know we can always rely on you, Goddess and expert."

 

Garcia laughs. "Goddess of all things that you need on a timely manner! Don't forget to add that!"

 

So saying, Morgan walks away to make use of this information to get something out of the creepy person who is sitting in the investigation room right now. He wants nothing more than to punch him for putting Reid through something like that but he has to control himself for Reid and Hotch's sake.

 

**********

 

Morgan watches through the glass window as Prentiss and Rossi grill Chambers for information. He has confessed to stalking them but he doesn't really know anything about how Reid and Hotch disappeared. Morgan has also told Garcia's findings to Prentiss and Rossi so that they could use that to find out more from Chambers.

 

Morgan, Prentiss and Rossi can tell that he has been trying to find out about Reid's whereabouts but with very less success. 

 

Chambers is angry that someone else took Reid away from right under his nose and that doesn't sit well with him but he wasn't any closer to finding out who is behind this or where Reid is currently now.

 

Prentiss and Rossi are trying to put him down, Chambers isn't reacting though. He is smart and he hasn't come under scrutiny for nearly many months, after all.

 

JJ walks up to Morgan. "No weird people have visited Reid's mother, thank God for that. But I have asked the LAPD to keep her safe just in case. Looks like this rat hasn't visited Diana."

 

Morgan lets out a sigh of relief. "Good for her." JJ nods.

 

Morgan catches JJ up on everything that has happened.

 

Both of them look just in time to see Garcia coming hurriedly towards them. "I found out more about Chambers' stalker. His name is Peter Fransisco. He is 34 years old, he was in prison for the past ten years because he tried to kill his mother. He lives a few miles from Chambers' house. I have his address, his history, his family and places he owns... all the details are in here."

 

She hands over a file to JJ and Morgan and nods.

 

Morgan knocks on the glass window. Rossi comes out and JJ hands the file to him. Rossi nods appreciatively at Garcia. Garcia smiles, "Go get them."

 

Prentiss comes out. Rossi nods, "Prentiss and I will cover one location. JJ and Morgan can over another. I will have someone watch over Chambers, book him on stalker charges and keep him in prison over night."

 

**********

 

Reid is losing a lot of blood. Hotch curses himself for being so useless. The scene eerily reminds him of what Foyet did to him. Strangely, he doesn't know what to say to Reid though. He just knows one thing, if he finally gets himself free - which he has been trying to sine he got here - he will strangle the UnSub with his own two hands like he did with Foyet and he would take great pleasure in doing so.

 

The UnSub hasn't been back since Reid had told him his profile. Hotch doesn't know if this is good or bad. Good because Reid won't hurt anymore but bad because he doesn't know what the UnSub would do in rage if he does come back and time's running out. Reid doesn't look so good.

 

Why do people he love always leave him in such a way? He shakes his head. There's still time, he can still help Reid. He believes in his team mates, if anyone can find them, it's them.

 

Reid is dozing off. Hotch calls out, "Reid... Spence... can you hear me? Stay awake, please."

 

Reid is jolted awake and Hotch hates seeing the pain and haziness in the genius' eyes.

 

Reid nods slowly and wearily. "I am awake Ho-tch."

 

"Stay that way, OK? Keep listening to my voice. Tell me some statistics, Reid. Common, keep talking. Distract yourself."

 

Reid smiles softly. "Generally, people aged 18-24 years experi-ence the highest rate of stalking. One in 6 women and one in 19 men in the United States have experienced stalking during their lifetime. During a 12-month p-eriod, an estim-ated 14 in every 1,000 persons age 18 or older were vict-ims of stalking. Over 85% p-eople are stalked by people they know actually, even though it's not a gene-rally acce-pted fact. However, a stalker being sta-lked by another stalker is kind of extr-emely rare. It only happens like around 1 or 2%..."

 

Hotch finally gets himself lose. He is glad for the sharp small piece of glass that he had hid in his long sleeved shirt cuffs before he had passed out in the car after the accident. It has been a long struggle and he is glad he didn't give up.

 

He rushes towards Reid and begins untying Reid's hands. 

 

Reid smiles, "You did it, H-otch! I knew you could! I noti-ced you trying to get rid of the damn ropes..." Looks like Reid isn't himself, Reid is going to be incoherent soon.

 

Before Hotch can finish untying Reid, the door opens and in comes the UnSub. Hotch hears police sirens outside and he knows that his team has come for them.

 

The UnSub doesn't have any weapon in his hand and Hotch lunges at him and pushes him down. They both roll on the floor trying to get the upper hand and Hotch finally does. He hits the man again and again in the face and he can't bring himself to stop. This man could have killed his Reid, his Spence! He cannot lose someone again like he did Hayley.

 

He feels Reid's hands on his shoulders and finally stops, ironical that Reid is the one who can stop him when it's for Reid that he started beating this man to a pulp in the first place. He knows that he wouldn't, couldn't have stopped if it had been anyone else, even Rossi.

 

He is glad that the man is unconscious. Reid hugs him tightly and Hotch doesn't let go of him.

 

Morgan and JJ burst in and this is what they see. Morgan calls the paramedics and JJ cuffs the unconscious bastard.

 

They both smile to themselves as they look at Hotch and Spence - looks like both of them have realized what exactly they mean to each other. Good for them. Prentiss' wish has come true.

 

**********

 

Reid has been out of surgery for hours and the doctors informed the team that he would make a speedy recovery and nothing major is wrong with him.

 

Garcia and JJ stayed back while the rest of the team went to their respective houses and decided to come back in the morning.

 

Reid wakes up and immediately JJ and Garcia glomp him in a big bear hug. Reid smiles at them. And at the same time, Morgan, Rossi, Prentiss and Hotch enter the room.

 

They all have fruits and flowers and get well cards and eatables and books for Reid.

 

Finally Garcia breaks the silence. "Enough of this dance! Our Chief Knight and Junior G-man have to talk to each other. Let us give them the space or they will never do this, I can't just not do anything any longer. Chop, chop, get your asses up and leave with me, now!"

 

She then looks at Hotch, "I don't care if you suspend me... for a week. I will lock the door if you try to leave, Sir."

 

Everyone smiles and leaves the room with Garcia pointedly ignoring Hotch's glare and Reid's pleading look.

 

Hotch just shrugs his shoulder and settles down. He did plan to talk to Reid after Reid is discharged but not like this. On the other hand, he can make use of this opportunity too.

 

Hotch knows that Spence likes him and after everything that has happened, Reid ought to know that Hotch likes him back too.

 

Reid awkwardly clears his throat. "I k-now... that you are not ready after H-ayley, Hotch. I can understand if my feelings seem like a burden to you. I realized that you like me back to some extent, I don't know how far though but if you are uncomfortable with me, I can-"

 

Hotch raises his hands to stop Reid and shakes his head. He says simply, "I am willing to give this a try if you are, Reid... no, Spencer."

 

Reid smiles brightly and he tries to sit up. Hotch rolls his eyes and he moves forward and hugs Reid tightly.

 

Spencer whispers, "Can I kiss you, Aaron?"

 

Hotch is not even surprised that Reid is straight forward. At some point, Hotch has come to accept the fact that Reid will always do something new and different and never cease to be special or amazing or unique and surprising. 

 

He leans forwards and places a chaste kiss on Reid's lips.

 

They both cringe as they head Garcia's squeals and others' laughs.

 

All his team mates rush in and hug Hotch. Hotch immediately knows that they have known for sometime. They are his precious, intelligent family after all, of course they would have known. Hotch is not a touchy feely person but he lets this go. He feels genuinely happy after a long time and thanks God for his family and all the things he has.

 

As the nurse comes in to push them out, Reid catches Hotch's eyes and winks. He knows that all of them will be sleeping tonight without any nightmares. And no matter what happens, he and Hotch will work through things. After all, they have a wonderful, nosy, kind, thoughtful, accepting family and nothing will ever break them apart. They are strong and connected in all ways they should be and they will always be there for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and staying till the end!  
> I have written an alternate ending, if you are interested, I can post that too in a week or so :)

**Author's Note:**

> I am assuming that Spence hasn't met Jack officially like the others, of course they could have met at Hayley's funeral but the part mentioned in this story, Spence and Jack are officially introduced to each other and spend time together. Jack finally gets to meet 'Spence' that his father has been talking about. I haven't included that scene in detail though.
> 
> Thank you for reading. :)


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